


All the Difference

by Chephren, kotoshin



Series: Furin no Ren [1]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anal Sex, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Multi, Mutual Masturbation, Oral Sex, Rimming, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-09
Updated: 2014-08-09
Packaged: 2018-02-12 10:19:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2106036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chephren/pseuds/Chephren, https://archiveofourown.org/users/kotoshin/pseuds/kotoshin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It all began with a cooperative operation between Turk and SOLDIER...</p>
            </blockquote>





	All the Difference

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU rp collaboration by Kotoshin and Chephren. Our first one posted! XD
> 
> Players:
> 
> Kotoshin -- Sephiroth, Zax, Kunzel  
> Chephren -- Tseng and Rude of the Turks
> 
> Hope you enjoy! <3
> 
> \----------------------------------------------------

"SOLDIER does not do subtle." Sephiroth's voice was like the reports said on the man, blunt and cutting and to the point. "That is a Turk specialty. So, as the mission parameter dictates, I am here to ensure the success of this delicate operation by learning to ... cooperate with you and yours."

Tseng peered at the elegant symbol of Shinra strength sitting across the desk from him.  "I appreciate you bringing this to my attention and offering us a place in this mission, General."  Until now, the Turks and SOLDIER had had a somewhat strained partnership.  It was no secret that the Turks were sent out as watchers and guardians for SOLDIERs in the past who had gone AWOL.  Then if the troops failed to bring said renegades in, they were to serve as their executioners.  With this so very clear in Shinra's history, the young officers did not exactly welcome the Turks into their bosom.  The fact that Sephiroth was even here talking to him showed the Director of General Affairs that the silver haired man might be interested in change.  "Consider it done."  _Hm, subtle._   "Have you met Agent Rude before?  He would be the most logical choice as well as the most subtle, as you put it," Tseng said after some thought, studying Sephiroth's beautiful face for his reaction.

"Only by reputation." Black-clad, leather gloved fingers crossed and folded palm down over the table, before parting to tap absently on the hardwood surface. "Though I assure you, Tseng, all hearsay painted only a picture of competence and reliability." The man's partner was a different story entirely.

Tseng blushed.  Sephiroth was really very well-mannered and it was always nice to hear his own brethren complimented for their abilities.  That the Silver General thought so highly of them when the man himself had been bred to be the very best really impressed the Head Turk.  There was a small twinge of something deep inside him.  Regret.  It was very rare these days that Tseng was able to step out of the Shinra Complex to chase off on an exciting field mission.  He would have loved to go in Rude's place, but President Shinra relied on him more and more these days.  There were conspiracy theories springing up all over his liege’s paranoid mind and everyone was out to get him.  Of course, so many out there really were, but whichever Turk was assigned to him, they were on their guard 24-7.  “You are very kind.  I will consult with Rude and see that we have a full executable plan for you by 8 am tomorrow morning.  Would you like us to present it to you then or would you like to be here for our strategizing in the meantime?  If there are any precautions that need accounting for, three heads are better than two surely.”

"With the war in Wutai all but over, the larger part of work falls on the clean up crew rather than SOLDIER personnel." Sephiroth spread his arms and shrugged.  He was little better than a figurehead of Shinra Victory that they trotted out every once in a while, and sometimes actually sent crushing any /obvious/ pockets of remaining rebellion. "I have the time and would prefer it being spent with competent professionals rather than slick politicians who hold their position more due to the power of money than to any real skill they possess."

Tseng smiled at him sadly.  It was nice to know that someone understood.  Sephiroth didn't even seem to be that broken up about it and there was little they could do to change things.  It was simply the way it was in this company.  They were glorified tools, valued for their position but very well trapped in them as well.  Pulling out his phone, Tseng pressed the number 2 speed dial.  When a deep, familiar voice answered, he spoke.

“Rude, please report back to my office at your earliest.”  He didn't bother with the word 'convenience' because it was far more pressing than this and Rude understood.  His usual reaction time was ten minutes from wherever he was, fifteen if he was across town but since he was in the gun range with Reno, this wouldn't take long.

“I heartily agree,” he said to Sephiroth as he placed his phone back in his breast pocket.  “May I ask, how did Director Lazard feel about you approaching me with this?  Do we have his support as well?  I don't want you sticking your neck out here, Sephiroth.”  To get that sort of attention within the company was dangerous, and could potentially be fatal, even for the Silver General.

"I received the mission from Lazard in a memo buried under equipment replacement requisitions, and I used my prerogative as /the/ General to cut through the red tape and go straight to the one person whose authority was necessary for this degree of cooperation rather than suffer through official channels." One delicately arched eyebrow, easily conveyed the sentiment, 'I did it because I could and didn't feel like putting up with bureaucratic bullshit. You can tell them to call my number if they dared.' "Frankly, to the Company, I am the culmination of /expensive/ research that is as yet unduplicatable since they fired Professor Gast. As long as they trust Hojo's sloppiness to /replace/ my usefulness - I will continue to find ways to make myself indispensible to the Company.

"You and I both know that people above a certain security clearance are never allowed to 'retire' gracefully, and I have been in that position since birth. I know very well how things work around here."

“You have found the heart of it,” Tseng replied softly.  The truth was that any day now, either one of their days could be numbered.  They both knew many of the higher-ups' filthy, treacherous secrets, of the horrid things that had happened in this company's name, most of which, they had been the ones to execute and then keep quiet about.  “Do you ever find this life lonely, Sephiroth?”  He had spoken before he realized that he was speaking to someone whose upbringing was different even to his, strange that they both were, all the same.  “I mean... do you ever wish for more?”

"Merely 'wishing' doesn't change reality." While he appreciated the security chief's consideration of his position, Sephiroth shied away from the sudden display of sentimentality. It was too ... personal. "And you're luckier than I in the choice of hand you were dealt with at birth."

He couldn't imagine what it could be like if he had been a child born to /civilians/. Angeal and Genesis .... were probably the closest to such, of people he had regular contact with. "We all make do with what we have, and truly, do you think you would know what to do with yourself in a so-called 'ordinary' life? I know I wouldn't."

It was a bit of a deflection and Tseng understood people well enough to know that he should back off.  He was not one to display grand shows of emotion usually and wasn't quite sure why he had now.  It was just that he felt connected to this man somehow.  “I really couldn't,” he smiled.  Even though he would never wish his childhood on anyone else, growing up in a war-torn country that Shinra snatched up so completely in the end, he could not deny that it played a large part in who he had become and he was the better for it.

Just then, there was a sharp and assertive knock at his door.  “Yes,” he beckoned and it opened to reveal Rude of the Turks.  “Rude, have you met General Sephiroth?  He has a mission for us.”

“Not in the flesh,” Rude said neutrally, as always, and stood beside the man, offering his gloved hand for a handshake.

The general realized his own misstep about the same time as Tseng decided to pull back. While SOLDIER intelligence wasn't as comprehensive as Turk intelligence, one only had to /look/ at the man to see the physical resemblance to the people Shinra now subjugated. So Sephiroth was glad of the distraction in the person of Rude.

"Likewise." He took Rude's hand curtly, and did not prolong the handshake more than was polite. It was to the benefit of both sides, with a long view towards peacetime cooperation, so it wouldn't do to insult the man with his own aversion to physical contact.

Tseng stepped in, seeing that the general seemed a bit restless.  Rude seemed oblivious but those glasses were a perfect cover.  The Head Turk often wondered if the man's poker face would be so good if his sunglasses mysteriously vanished. 

“Rude,” he began calmly, “Our mission is to assess any remaining rebel factions in Wutai that might cause a threat to the company.  First order of business, there is a small camp here...” He pulled the marking pins out of his upper desk drawer, walking over to the map of enemy territory.  Rude's jaw tightened, obviously wondering what Tseng was making of all this, organizing a trip into his home country as an enemy, but the Head Turk kept going, unwilling to discuss it now.  If Reno hadn't finagled his file out of the archives a few years ago and then discussed it with his colleague, Rude would be none the wiser.  Oh, and how Tseng had punished Reno for it too...  There was no room for open pity within them.  Concern, yes, Nosy interest, yes, but Tseng would die before he had their pity.

Rude also wondered why the Director hadn't volunteered for this himself without consulting them, but it made sense.  Tseng didn't see himself as belonging there anymore, being on the wrong side of the tracks.

“It would be easy for you to fit in and you are of a tan enough complexion that even if you had to, you might seem like an unattached foreigner if you dress the part.  Sephiroth,” he said turning to the silver haired man.  “Who are placing nearby as your mission CO?”

"Yourself, of course, given the majority of mission operatives are Turk personnel." One corner of Sephiroth's lip twitched in not-quite-a-smile. "I'm supposed to be the distraction, as we all know any mission with my name as a required presence cannot be a quiet one." Quickly, he sketched out an obvious (to Turk thinking) ruse of General Sephiroth leading an impromptu surprise patrol through the 'pacified' zone, engaging the attention of opportunistic rebels while the Turk component came in behind.

"You would also read their psychology and know their reaction better - What sort of SOLDIER compliment should be brought along as the 'escort'? Green troops getting in one last possible seasoning and make them more inclined to strike, or a more intimidating one with veterans?"

“...M-me?” Tseng stammered visibly, but quickly caught himself.  Rude was looking at him but he nodded once to signify that everything was alright.  “I appreciate your confidence in me. In us.  When do we ship out?”

 "Whenever your preparations are ready." Sephiroth gave Tseng an odd look, but did not comment on the other man's surprise. "It is more of a Turk mission than a SOLDIER one, and I would be a fool not to admit that playing a glorified stalking horse maximizes our distinct strengths."

“Yes,” Tseng agreed, “It seems like a very insignificant duty to burden you with, acting as a decoy, but then, what better way to lure threats out of hiding.  They know that their suspected small bands are no match for you and your forces and so we can gather clues as to whether our estimations for their factions are grossly underestimated or not.”  After a questioning look at Rude and then the dark man's answering nod, he replied, “We can be ready to head out first thing in the morning.”  The reshuffling of acting duties would be determined before the day was out and hopefully, Elena would help ensure that Reno didn't burn the complex down.

"Right, green recruits it is, then," the Head Turk finally replied in answer to the general’s question.

Which Shinra could afford to lose more than they could veteran SOLDIERs, and would be far more likely to flush insurgents out of hiding. "Will see you at seven sharp, then - I understand Wutai martial artists are early risers."

Rude smirked as he noticed a bit more color in Tseng's cheeks at the fact that Sephiroth would even care to comment on his martial arts background.

“Thank you, Sephiroth, we will be there.”  The Head Turk answered, rather wishing that he had some excuse, _any_ excuse to spend a little more time in the man's presence but there was no official reason for it and he very much doubted that Sephiroth felt the need for friends.  Friendship was something rather foreign to Tseng as well but his kinship with his Turks was something very special, a familial bond, and it had fulfilled any desires for companionship thus far in Midgar even though if was mostly about work.

"You're welcome, and I will now bid you a good evening, gentlemen." Satisfied that the cross-department cooperation was off to a good start (though still slightly puzzled by some of Tseng's physical reactions - Was the man not used to Wutaian climate anymore?), Sephiroth stood and and whirled out of the room after nods at both Tseng and Rude. He already had his men in mind - green, unseasoned troops but level-headed enough to keep their cool under surprise hostile situations - or so he hoped. Angeal's protégé was among them, and he'd be able to give Angeal some concrete feedback to the man's daily texts about his pup.

At precisely 6:58 am, Tseng walked up to the landing pad.  Sephiroth was already organizing things and really, he wasn't surprised.  In fact, it was rather refreshing to note.  As he approached the general, who looked magnificent in the rays of the rising sun, he straightened his necktie and made his voice work for the very first time as, even though he had been up for a while, he had not yet spoken today.

“Good morning, General,” he said with a polite nod.

"Good morning, Tseng." Sephiroth took his attention away from the milling troops to greet the Turk and make polite conversation. "I trust you've slept well?"

“Very well, thank you,” Tseng said with a small smile.  It was sort of true, after a shot or two of bourbon, he had slept quite peacefully.  It was nothing though to him as long as he found rest.  They would be traveling together and as the Turk uniform appeared as only another suit in most crowds, then his countrymen would not realize he was on the wrong side hopefully.  “How about you?”

If there was one thing Angeal did well, it was to drill the basics into his protégé’s head, and the pup did curb its overexuberant enthusiasm to follow orders efficiently once given them. The regular troops attached were more per regulation than for show, compared to the green SOLDIERs - but Sephiroth did take care to insert veterans that looked greener amongst them. He abhorred unnecessary waste, and it was a major point of contention between himself and Heidigger. Good thing Lazard was head of SOLDIER and not that lump of incompetent lard. Really, the only other Shinra department higher-up more prone to throwing warm bodies at a problem to fix it was Palmer.

"Well enough." He'd always been a light sleeper, as the labs had the habit of 'enforced' alertness should he not be aware enough for their liking. "I am used to keeping earlier hours for morning practice."

“Oh yes,” Tseng nodded, “I've heard about your impressive training regime.”  He didn't dwell on it too long for it might serve to make him a little hot under the collar.  Needless to say though, Sephiroth's training had to be kept up to speed outside of his workday.  They were very alike on this topic as well.  Weekends and holidays didn't really exist for most of the department heads here. 

"It's only impressive to people who're unaware of the bottom line." Tseng kept one no less strict, designed to keep them both at their sharpest.  In their line of work, they couldn't afford complacency and neither career was well known for long life expectancy. Sephiroth's own only seem harsher than Tseng's because he had a higher bar to reach.For one - if he hadn't surpassed the scientists' projections, he very much doubted he would be standing here right now. "I cannot take credit for the genetic .... enhancements I have been given, and it makes no sense to settle for less when I know not what my limits may be." 

“Checking in,” Rude's deep voice interjected from just beside him and the frame of the man's dark glasses came into the Head Turk's peripheral.

“Good morning, Rude,” Tseng nodded.  To Sephiroth, he asked, “General, are we ready to load up?”

"Just about, and there is one ... SOLDIER I'd like you to keep an eye on, if it would not affect the outcome of this mission." If anything happened to Zax, Angeal would /never/ shut up about it. "See the bouncy pup that's chatting up the ground personnel there? The one with the porcupine hair? That's Angeal's protégé. He got sent out too late to take part in the Wutai war, so Angeal's been pushing me to give him more field experience before he gets rotated back."

The SOLDIERS and regular troopers were all packed, just waiting on the officer and 'civilian' higher-ups - namely, himself, Tseng, and Rude.

Two sets of Turk eyes shifted over to have a look at the youth the general mentioned.  Zachary Fair was a fresh-faced young man who looked as though he would be just as peppy at 12 midnight as he was right now... extremely peppy.  It was rather hard to imagine the stern Commander Hewley being notably fond of him but Tseng pushed the imagery aside.

With a nod of acceptance from Rude, he agreed on their behalf.  “We will do our best to keep him safe, Sephiroth.  He will come back well-experienced from this mission, I am sure of it.”  One of the military pilots approached the two Turks for their luggage and supplies and they began handing it off.  “Would it be acceptable to you, General, if Rude and I flew this one?”  Piloting the chopper was one of his most prized moments on the job.

"Certainly, the usual channels for radio contact?" Sephiroth saw nothing wrong with that and proceeded to head off to his own ride - they left plenty of room for him, given Masamune's size.

Tseng watched after him for a moment until the general climbed into the cabin of the next helicon a few yards away.  Rude in his peripheral vision caught his attention again and he turned in time to see the corner of the man's lips relax back into his usual neutral blank expression.  The dark Turk was laughing at him.

“What?”  Tseng asked, a little defensive as he had been caught staring. 

“I didn't say anything,” Rude shrugged.

It was just the push the Head Turk needed anyway, to get them moving.  “You take second shift?”

Rude nodded and they boarded themselves, doing the necessary equipment checks before takeoff.

Sephiroth was oblivious to the Turk exchange behind him as he gave a curt nod as greeting to his designated pilot - a competent man he'd named himself after noting the man's ability and LACK of wagging tongue about providing service to the great General. He disliked the complications of celebrity about his person - and if they did their job and kept a clear divide between personal and professional lives, he used them.

Trusting the pilot to do his job, and noting that Zax was safely strapped in, he decided to catch a few short winks enroute. The man's skill was good enough, and his own senses sharp enough that he would wake at the first sign of trouble or turbulence.

And just as he thought, the change in the rotar's spin alerted him to immenent landing, and green eyes gazed down over the rugged mountain landscape as the coptor began its descent.

"ETA in three minutes," the pilot announced over the radio.

“Right behind you,” Tseng spoke into the receiver in acknowledgement.  In case they were separated, Sephiroth had provided them with coordinates to follow.

When Tseng's feet touched down on his homesoil, he took in the splendor of the lush green forests and the mountains that loomed in the distance, swirling, misty clouds at their peaks.  Inhaling the crisp, exotic scent of the fragrant spiced scents that his people used in their cooking and on their bodies, he opened the cabin hatch to pull out his travel bag.  He and Rude had been listening to Rude's choice of music for the last 2 hours.  Before that, had played a rather extended game of 'I spy' that had lengthy lapses in between turns as neither one of them were particularly talkative and even once, Tseng thought about picking up the communicator to get to know Sephiroth and Zax a bit better.  Usually Reno would have made sure that they were well-entertained but neither the Head Turk nor Rude had thought too much on what it would take to adequately compensate for the redhead's absence.  They were as well rested as could be expected, each one having taken a small cat nap during the trip over, but mostly, it was up to the one not flying to ensure that the other stayed awake.

Angeal's pup had /obviously/ been bored out of his skull and literally SPRINTED out of the helicopter. Sephiroth had to bark a command to curb the young man, who quite visibly yelped in consternation and came back to heel, tail figuratively between the legs. With Angeal's description of the boy's eternal optimism, Sephiroth gave it a month before the pup decided it was safe to beg for exceptions and treats. But this worked very well for now.

Sephiroth's sharp tone with Zax made Tseng's heart skip a beat.  It was strange and he had never really enjoyed discipline from the other side, but he did find he enjoyed bestowing it and wondered if the general felt the same way.

Shuffling up to the two of them, Tseng nodded to Sephiroth.  “General, how was your flight?”

He took a deep breath of the crisp mountain air, intermingled with the scents he associated with Wutaian camps - there was a certain muskiness that was not unpleasant, readily recognizable, that the warriors of Wutai used in the oil used to care for their edged weapons. He'd noticed the scent on Tseng as well, but it was more overpowered by the gunpowder residue that was the Turk’s weapon of choice. But it made sense that the head of the Turks would keep another, hidden cold arm about his person, less obvious and harder to find than firearms.

"Uneventful enough to catch a few winks." Sephiroth didn't enjoy dealing out discipline so much seeing it as a necessary part of running an army. "Do you feel you need a few minutes to limber up? Fair here could clearly use a little toning down for his excessive energies, as well."

Tseng chuckled and offered his hand.  “I think some stretching would be very beneficial indeed after all that time.  Lieutenant Fair, I am Tseng and this is Rude and we will be your Turks for this mission.”  Rude was busy checking their munitions to make sure everything had survived the trip.

Zax took Tseng's hand with obvious enthusiasm. "Wow, so you guys are Turks! That is so COOL, you guys are the ones with all the cool spy gizmos and gadgets, right?" 

After making sure the troopers and other SOLDIERs were all in formation, Sephiroth came back to detach Angeal's puppy from bombarding Tseng and Rude with questions that had more to do with the latest Double-O movie plot than with any actual Turk standard operations and equipment.　

"As you’re obviously fresh for this trip, Lieutanant Fair, I think you should go lead the men for five laps around the perimeter in full formation."

"But sir, I haven't even talked with Rude here yet about - "

So his estimate was off by a few weeks. "Ten laps."

"Yessir."

One of the other 2nd Class Soldiers, a nondescript brunette with brown eyes, rolled his eyes at Zax' antics. "C'mon, Zax, behave yourself around the General and give us 2nd Classes a good name."

And Sephiroth's orders was carried out without incident apart from a few dark looks from troopers who hadn't SOLDIER stamina, which Zax quickly mollified by promises to buy them drinks after work, since it really /was/ his fault with the five extra laps, and hey, 2nd Class got paid better than regulars, right?

Sephiroth sighed in exasperation and pinched the bridge of his own nose, valiantly resisting the urge to add another ten laps onto Zax's 'punishment' as Kunsel quelled Zax's called out offer to Rude to join them ALL for drinks after work as the SOLDIERS led the troopers away.

Tseng lifted a hand to scratch his cheek, but mostly it was to hide his smirk.  He had a feeling if Zax and Reno ever met, they would get along...

“You certainly have your hands full,” he said, smiling at Sephiroth, his temperature rising, knowing he was more or less alone with the man.  He started to roll his neck though to make use of their time while the troops were gone, turning it from side to side as he occasionally looked into Sephiroth's eyes, trying to make their time together as efficient as possible.  Plus, it would ensure that he wasn't caught staring again.

 "I know that if I wanted to get any paperwork done, to leave his training with Angeal." Sephiroth changed the pressure pinching to a rub on his temples. "But Angeal got called away last week on a separate assignment, and the pup's been doing well enough then that there's pressure from the Company to re-evaluate his status. As I'm the only first class currently available - he's in my hands until Angeal gets back. 

“It's not as if Turks aren't free of their own share of problem children." More in the Turks, in fact, because their unconventional independent thinking was /encouraged/ rather than worn down under strict discipline and army regime.

Pressing his chest forward and spreading his arms, Tseng sighed before crossing first one arm over his chest to stretch his back, then the other.  “Yes,” he agreed, “We are rather a band of misfits and I do admit, I enjoy that.  It is refreshing to know that even misfits have their valuable place in today's world.

“You are doing very well with Zax,” the Head Turk affirmed, “For his rather energetic temperament, I can see that he highly respects you.  He certainly doesn't see you as any sort of stand-in.”  It was a bit of an understatement but somehow, Tseng felt as though the Silver General wouldn't necessarily want to hear about another young man idolizing him.  He was probably pretty well tired of it by now.  Lifting an arm over his head, he stretched each tricep as well, refraining from stretching his waist as he felt that would be rather awkward while they were talking.

"Quite. But you must admit, now that Wutai is no longer the power it was - There /is/ no other power which would require the services of such as us." Wutai had been a worthy enemy, to have held out against Shinra for eight long years in the face of superior numbers and resources. And given who he was, impossible for the General Sephiroth to ever find a place here, much as he agreed with the people and their warrior philosophies. He shifted to a more comfortable topic, remembering Tseng's Wutai origins. "Zax ... I was actually hoping the hero-worship stage lasted a little longer. I've seen Genesis' transformation in his eyes from 'the Great Commander Genesis' to 'Angeal's buddy Genesis', you see."

As they walked, Sephiroth easily freed Masamune from its sheath for a few training patterns and get remaining stiffness out of his own limbs, as he watched Tseng's fluid movements toward the same goal. For an unenhanced human, the man had superb control of his body and knew clearly its full capability and limits. He liked that, a lot.

“Oh, you're well aware of it after all,” Tseng chuckled in realization.  “I would say that you've got at least a good dose of hero-worship left from him.  Do you remember what changed with Commander Genesis to make him more 'approachable'?”  It was nice to be walking together like this...  Occasionally, he felt a wisp of Sephiroth's silken hair brush over the skin of his wrist or hand, making him shiver.  Every sure movement and zing of Masamune's song as she sliced the air around them made his breath quicken and grow shallower in his chest.   He simply couldn't help himself but he tried his best to remain calm, his adrenaline pumping and compensating so that his grace in stance and posture wasn't compromised.  It was why he managed to keep his cool in many stressful situations.  It wasn't truly that he kept it, but that his adrenaline was trusty and his technique had been meticulously honed over the years.

"As far as I can tell, familiarity and proximity. Genesis certainly hadn't acted any different - it was just Zax being ... Zax." A pause, then resheathing of the blade as Sephiroth finished the pattern. "He seems quite determined to share with Genesis the more plebian delights of the common masses as Genesis is in enlightening the uneducated common masses of Loveless, for example. And as you've access to Angeal's records, you must know of Angeal's fondness for ... canines. The pup displays quite a few ... similiar traits. That is my theory on his behaviour and how he ended up Angeal's protégé, any rate."

“So your accessibility and friendship might relax his ardor,” Tseng nodded.  “You seem to have that well in hand.” 

"I'm supposed to be his superior officer, not his /friend/." Sephiroth snorted delicately. "That's Angeal's job as his mentor. But the pup thinks he can make friends out of anyone unless severely discouraged."

Taking a small peek at Sephiroth's face as they moved together, the dark man noted the noble, prominent tip of the general’s nose and the soft pink of those lips.  “Forgive me for being forward, but may I ask, how do you manage to remain so untouched by the sun with all the time you've spent in the field, Sephiroth?”

The expression didn't so much change as froze into an impassive mask at Tseng's second question, with a very clipped reply of: "A quirk of my ... genes. You must know that unlike ordinary SOLDIERS, my treatments were begun at the prenatal stage, so I was /designed/ to be a SOLDIER before my birth? It is not that I do /not/ tan, it is because my body repairs itself too fast for the tan to take." A hard look at Tseng, to see if there was another motive in bringing up this 'casual' topic - because there was nothing casual about the Director of Turks if he was dealing with the General Sephiroth.

"You may wish to remember this: my healing factor is at least three times better than that of the next SOLDIER." One gloved hand took a hold of a strand of silver hair. "Impractical, isn't it? While it's clearly intimidating to enemy forces - especially Wutai with its warrior culture, as it implies the warrior is good enough that it is not a liability in combat - The disadvantages clearly outweigh any psychological one it may carry."

Abruptly, the silver hair was gathered into one black gloved-hand in a firm ponytail, the other hand drawing out Masamune and cleanly SLICED the hair off at shoulder length. Then he let the strands fall, to be easily carried away by the strong mountain winds.

\----------------------------------------

TBC!!! XDDD How are you enjoying it so far?


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